NHS patient calls system boosted

TOPPING TABLES Dewsbury and District Hospital.

More than 95 per cent of calls to hospitals in the region are now answered within three minutes, according to the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The improved results come after an overhaul of operations at the trust following a number of administration problems at the end of last year, which saw call centres struggling to cope with demand and large numbers of patients being sent duplicate appointment letters. The issues have been blamed on a new patient administration system that went live in September 2013.

The recent improvement in performance has been partly attributed to a recruitment drive for additional call centre staff, revising all administrative processes and rigorous call monitoring and quality checks.

Stephen Eames, chief executive of the trust, said: “I’m glad to say the problems with the booking system are now firmly behind us and patients can expect only the highest quality of service from now on.”